ANoVJember,bi9oT'}     Review  of  Chemistry  of  the  U.S.P.  503 
The  relative  sensitiveness  of  the  test  was  shown  by  the  following 
experiment  :  A  commercial  specimen  of  witch  hazel,  which  from  the 
color  yielded  with  the  official  test,  was  judged  to  contain  about  I  part 
formaldehyde  in  5,000  parts,  was  diluted  with  9  times  its  volume 
of  water,  and  a  distinct,  if  not  deep,  purple  coloration  when  applying 
the  Leach  hydrochloric  acid-casein  test1  which,  in  my  hands,  has 
been  sensitive  to  1  in  100,000,  was  obtained. 
When  much  salicylic  acid  is  used  the  test  is  less  sensitive:  if 
0*05  gramme  is  used  for  5  c.c.  sulphuric  acid,  then  it  will  fail  to 
detect  1  part  formaldehyde  in  I, OOO  c.c.  Further,  the  reagent 
should  be  freshly  prepared  and  the  sulphuric  acid  should  be  of  full 
strength. 
It  would  seem  desirable  that  the  official  test  be  changed  to  read : 
"  If  1  c.c.  hamamelis  water  be  added  to  5  c.c.  of  a  freshly  prepared 
solution  of  o-oi  gramme  salicylic  acid  in  100  c.c.  sulphuric  acid,  no 
red  color  should  appear  on  standing  (absence  of  formaldehyde)." 
PRELIMINARY  REVIEW  OF  THE  CHEMISTRY  OF  THE 
U.S.P.,  VIII. 
By  Carx  G.  Hinrichs,  Ph.C, 
Professor  of  Chemistry,  St.  Louis  Dental  College. 
The  long-expected  has  happened — the  Pharmacopoeia  is  out. 
The  many  warnings  sent  to  the  journals  of  its  expected  arrival  have 
kept  the  druggists  on  the  lookout.  Still,  doctors  of  a  certain  stripe 
will  cheerfully  go  along  the  old  way  of  prescribing  ready-made  prep- 
arations, while  the  true  physician  will  take  heed  of  the  changes 
that  vitally  concern  him  and  his  patients.  The  chemist  turns  to  the 
chemicals,  looks  at  the  fine  print  and  incidentally  at  the  heralded 
modern  features.  The  secretary  of  the  commission  already  desires 
criticism,  even  at  this  early  date  !  The  editor  of  the  A.  J.  P.  is 
satisfied  with  a  review  of  the  new  Eighth  Decennial  Revision  of  the 
United  States  Pharmacopoeia.  I  shall  try  to  please  both,  and 
especially  the  latter. 
But,  first,  may  we  not  commend  the  committee  for  its  extreme 
modesty?    Five  years  have  they  labored  ;  1 900  is  already  a  recol- 
1  Bulletin  No.  65,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agriculture,  Dept.  Chemistry,  p.  ioS(b). 
